US missile strike kills 16 militants in S Waziristan
The missiles targeted the compound in Dwasarak village near Angooradda, about 40 km west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan district.
Intelligence officials, on condition of anonymity, said that militants belonging to the Maulvi Nazir tribe were targeted and local commander Maulana Halimullah was killed in the attack, the second time that US drones have targeted his men.
Others killed were identified as Said Wali, Akbar Wali, Baitullah, Meer Zaman and Khan Wali, although this has not been verified independently. Locals claimed that there were some foreigners among the dead.
A security official in Miranshah, the main town of the neighbouring North Waziristan tribal district, said militants were also using the compound as a training camp.
Soon after the attack, militants surrounded the village and forced residents to stay in their houses, another security official in Wana told a news agency.
Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in more than 100 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants.
On June 29, a compound in Karikot village, about 10 km southwest of Wana, belonging to Halimullah was destroyed in a drone attack that killed six militants. More recently at least 10 militants were killed in a drone strike on July 15 in neighbouring North Waziristan agency.
On June 1, al Qaeda said its number three leader and Osama bin Laden’s one-time treasurer Mustafa Abu al-Yazid was killed in what security officials said was an apparent drone strike in North Waziristan.
The US military does not, as a rule, confirm drone attacks, but its armed forces and the Central Intelligence Agency operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy pilotless drones in the region.
The US has been increasing pressure on Pakistan to crack down on militant sanctuaries along the Afghan border. Pakistani commanders have not ruled out an offensive in North Waziristan, but argue that gains in South Waziristan and the northwestern district of Swat need to be consolidated to prevent their troops from being stretched too thin.
Meanwhile, at least 59 suspects including an important militant commander have been arrested by security forces during search operations in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Agency on Saturday.
According to FC sources, the security forces raided militant hideouts in Bara and arrested 24 militants, and 35 militants in Lakki Marwat.
According to DPO Lakki Marwat Muhammad Ayub Khan, four snatched cars and weapons have also been seized from their possession. (ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AGENCIES)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2010.
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